Students will be taught in modular classrooms this fall as construction begins on a new high school at a different location
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A grim reminder of the mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge will soon be gone.
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The federal and provincial governments announced Thursday that the local high school, where a shooter opened fire and killed five students and a teaching assistant, will be demolished and a new Tumbler Ridge Secondary School will rise at a different location.
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The decision comes after the area’s school board talked with victims’ families, students, teachers, experts and the community and asked the province to support the removal of the site of the massacre and the building of a new high school.
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The design and location will be finalized after a community consultation later this year.
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On Feb. 10, 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar shot dead her mother and half-brother at home, then went to the high school where she shot five students and an educational assistant before taking her own life.
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“The community in Tumbler Ridge has persevered and shown such strength,” said Gregor Robertson, the federal infrastructure minister. “We are focused on providing the students with the support they need and a new school will help make that happen.”
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While plans are coming together, construction continues on a set of larger modular classrooms on a neutral site. Students will be moved there later in May and it will give students and staff more room and comfort that their current temporary trailer while the new secondary school is built.
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Demolition of the existing school, which was built in the mid-1980s, will begin as early as this summer while the province works with the school district on a plan to fast-track construction of a new one.
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The temporary campus has eight modular buildings with twice the capacity of the temporary trailers students are in now. Five more buildings will be in place by fall for administrative and common spaces.
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“Building a new school is an important step in providing students and staff a healing and supportive place to learn and work, and is the result of Tumbler Ridge families, B.C. and Canada standing together for the future of this vital community,” said B.C. Premier David Eby.
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The plan has the support of the MLA for the Peace River South region, Conservative Larry Neufeld.
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“The community of Tumbler Ridge has been through something no words can adequately describe,” said Neufeld in a statement. “The weight of what they have carried is something I will never forget, and I am deeply honoured to serve them.
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“Premier Eby’s announcement reflects what the community has been asking for. It is the community that should determine what is best for them, and their voices were central to this outcome.”
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“Our students and staff have been through an incredibly difficult experience, and their well-being remains our highest priority,” said Chad Anderson, the chair of the Peace River South school board. “This new school will provide a safe, caring environment where students can focus on learning and feel supported as they continue their path forward.”
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“Our focus remains on supporting students, families, staff, and the broader community through this process and ensuring there continues to be a safe and supportive learning environment for local children,” said Tumbler Ridge Mayor Darryl Krakowka.
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